Leverage the Power of Storytelling to Grow Your Small Business
By Andrew Patricio
October 07, 2015
Small Business & Entrepreneurship
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By the small business content developers at BizLaunch.com.
Everyone loves a good story. Whether it comes in a book, a movie, or even a brand’s marketing, storytelling is a great way to engage your audience. Here’s how you can use it to attract more customers.
Add Energy to Your Content
Why write the same boring old blog post that your competitors are writing? Instead, insert a story to bring life to your content. For example, if you’re writing a post about recent changes to your product, maybe you can tell the story of how those changes came about. Your readers will be more engaged if you talk about the all-night brainstorming session that resulted in your team painting their faces and wearing fake moose antlers than just writing a product announcement!
Provide Social Media Inside Shares
When you share content or an update on social media, get personal. You can show the softer side of your business if you tweet something like, “Boy this article took a long time to write — not to mention 3 espressos! I think it was worth it. What do you think?”
You’ll also be more likely to foster conversation rather than just have people retweet your link. Make sure to follow anyone who converses with you directly.
Polish Your PR Pitches
If you pitch the media in the hopes that they will write about your company news, you’ll get a lot further with a good story. Sure, maybe your company won some fancy award, but the truth is: nobody cares. What they do care about is the story behind that news. Maybe you tried for it for 15 years before finally winning it. Or you won with an endorsement for your business from your 3-year-old. Journalists want something to hold onto that their readers will really get excited over.
Sell Potential Customers on Your Brand’s Story
If you meet with potential clients to close a sale, you’ve got a tremendous opportunity to sell them with a story. After all, you are your business, and you want people to lock onto you. Get personal. Share bits about your kid’s Little League tournament, or how your wife came up with your business name. Dive into what makes your brand unique, and why that makes a difference in the products and services you deliver.
A small business like yours is a living, breathing thing. It has dozens of stories to tell, and those can come out through all manner of channels. Leverage stories to brand your business and attract new customers like moths to a flame.
Everyone loves a good story. Whether it comes in a book, a movie, or even a brand’s marketing, storytelling is a great way to engage your audience. Here’s how you can use it to attract more customers.
Add Energy to Your Content
Why write the same boring old blog post that your competitors are writing? Instead, insert a story to bring life to your content. For example, if you’re writing a post about recent changes to your product, maybe you can tell the story of how those changes came about. Your readers will be more engaged if you talk about the all-night brainstorming session that resulted in your team painting their faces and wearing fake moose antlers than just writing a product announcement!
Provide Social Media Inside Shares
When you share content or an update on social media, get personal. You can show the softer side of your business if you tweet something like, “Boy this article took a long time to write — not to mention 3 espressos! I think it was worth it. What do you think?”
You’ll also be more likely to foster conversation rather than just have people retweet your link. Make sure to follow anyone who converses with you directly.
Polish Your PR Pitches
If you pitch the media in the hopes that they will write about your company news, you’ll get a lot further with a good story. Sure, maybe your company won some fancy award, but the truth is: nobody cares. What they do care about is the story behind that news. Maybe you tried for it for 15 years before finally winning it. Or you won with an endorsement for your business from your 3-year-old. Journalists want something to hold onto that their readers will really get excited over.
Sell Potential Customers on Your Brand’s Story
If you meet with potential clients to close a sale, you’ve got a tremendous opportunity to sell them with a story. After all, you are your business, and you want people to lock onto you. Get personal. Share bits about your kid’s Little League tournament, or how your wife came up with your business name. Dive into what makes your brand unique, and why that makes a difference in the products and services you deliver.
A small business like yours is a living, breathing thing. It has dozens of stories to tell, and those can come out through all manner of channels. Leverage stories to brand your business and attract new customers like moths to a flame.